Dreaming of a Big Star: An Interview with Welcome to the Machine, SEA’s Only Pink Floyd Tribute Band

It’s a Tuesday evening and we find ourselves in an unlikely place to conduct an interview – the basement of the Excelsior Hotel, tucked away in a dusty corner amidst countless music shops and schools. We’re here today to meet with the members of Welcome to the Machine, Southeast Asia’s best and only Pink Floyd tribute band. Comprising of six core members, each one an … Continue reading Dreaming of a Big Star: An Interview with Welcome to the Machine, SEA’s Only Pink Floyd Tribute Band

Review: Love and Duty – Mozart’s Il Re Pastore by The Opera People

Mozart gets funky in this accessible new interpretation that sets Il Re Pastore in a nightclub. Opera often gets a bad rap for being stuffy and inaccessible to the general public. But in their debut production, The Opera People are pulling out all the stops to produce a show that anyone from any background would be more open to attend and be able to appreciate. … Continue reading Review: Love and Duty – Mozart’s Il Re Pastore by The Opera People

Preview: Love and Duty – Mozart’s Il Re Pastore by The Opera People

Opera has come a long way since the ‘park and bark’ style of the 1980s, with newer groups constantly attempting to buck the trend and make it trendy, modern and accessible. And perfectly in line with that, newly formed opera company The Opera People have arrived on the scene with big reputations and aspirations. Founded by opera stalwarts and brothers Jonathan and David Charles Tay, the contemporary opera … Continue reading Preview: Love and Duty – Mozart’s Il Re Pastore by The Opera People

No Such Thing As Magic: Ugly In The Morning Launches 3rd Album – 3 Or More If You Can Afford It

In this day and age, local bands are a dime a dozen, and far too many come and go in the blink of an eye. It’s a rarity to even release one album, let alone two, which is precisely why funk-rock band Ugly In The Morning’s third release is absolutely significant in the history of Singapore music. 3 Or More If You Can Afford It was officially launched … Continue reading No Such Thing As Magic: Ugly In The Morning Launches 3rd Album – 3 Or More If You Can Afford It

Ugly In The Morning: 3 Or More If You Can Afford It

It’s a quarter past 11 on a Saturday night and we’re seated on a couch, watching the beautiful chaos that is Ugly In The Morning unfold before us in a small studio at Upper Thomson – drummer Joseph Saleem is running in and out with his ear clasped to the phone, offering us some durian on his way out, and we hear guitarist Noel Ong slightly … Continue reading Ugly In The Morning: 3 Or More If You Can Afford It

Love Always: An Interview with Former Westlife Frontman Shane Filan

With the release of his third album “Love Always”, the former Westlife frontman has managed to keep ‘love always’ in his life and for his fans. Irish singer Shane Filan has been to Singapore around eight times, and last seen here promoting his debut solo album in 2014. But for those unfamiliar with the name, you’ll be forgiven, because he’s probably better known as the … Continue reading Love Always: An Interview with Former Westlife Frontman Shane Filan

Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2018

February is fast on our heels and you know what that means? The Esplanade’s annual Huayi Festival is back with a smorgasbord of new productions to feed your spirit and soul with art! There’s a whole range of options available this year, from theatre to music to dance and everything in between, and we’ve summarized what you can expect from this year’s festival, set to be … Continue reading Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2018

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: If there’s not dancing at the revolution, I’m not coming by Julia Croft (Review)

An unusually moving neo-burlesque reflection on film and pop culture’s influence on women.  One of the key theories any film studies student learns early on is the concept of the male gaze and visual pleasure, coined by seminal film critic Laura Mulvey. In short, it’s a concept that discusses how Hollywood films are essentially born from an unconscious patriarchal desire to derive pleasure from voyeurism … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: If there’s not dancing at the revolution, I’m not coming by Julia Croft (Review)

M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 3: Questioning Perfection and the Patriarchal Gaze

In the final part of our previews for the 2018 M1 Singapore Fringe Fest, we look at four works that tackle the complexities of the female form and the emphasis on female beauty. These pieces question the validity of succumbing to the patriarchal gaze and reject the emphasis on traditional ‘aesthetic beauty’, as they bring alternative takes on femininity across age and history. Read our … Continue reading M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 3: Questioning Perfection and the Patriarchal Gaze

Kalaa Utsavam 2017: Koodiyattam – Nangiarkoothu by Kapila Venu (Review)

Beyond new contemporary works, the Esplanade’s annual Kalaa Utsavam also regularly features traditional arts in its lineup, and 2017 is no different. This year, we had the rare privilege of watching master koodiyattam practitioner Kapila Venu perform the ancient, UNESCO-recgonized art form. A little background information for the unfamiliar: koodiyattam is a 2,000 year old theatrical tradition originating from Kerala, India. Often performed in temples, … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2017: Koodiyattam – Nangiarkoothu by Kapila Venu (Review)